More

Mark Hamill Wants You to Hope For Luke's Star Wars 9 Return

Mark Hamill is teasing a potential return as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IX. Disney's revival of Star Wars meant that fans would finally get to see what's happened to a few beloved characters over 30 years later. The most anticipated return was that of Hamill as Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Everyone hoped he would save the day in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he only showed up at the end and didn't say a single word. But, when Star Wars: The Last Jedi actually revealed what Luke had become, there was some backlash from fans.

The grizzly version of Luke wanted nothing to do with the Force and shut himself out completely. All he wanted was to remain a hermit on Ahch-To and let the galaxy fend for itself. Thanks to some nudging from Yoda (and perhaps a little from Rey), the hero inside was awakened. He used all of his strength to Force project himself onto Crait and distract Kylo as the remaining Resistance members fled. The act resulted in Luke's physical death as his body disappeared, leaving Hamill's future with the franchise up in the air.

A new tease on Mark Hamill's Twitter account, however, may just reveal that Luke could be back for Episode IX. Hamill shared a photo of Luke meditating on Ahch-To and uttering his Last Jedi line to Kylo, "See you around kid." It is Hamill's choice of hashtag that is the biggest hint, however. By using #Foreshadowing, he clearly wants fans to hope that Luke will return again. Of course, this is far from being a confirmation that Hamill will return as Luke Skywalker in the forthcoming saga installment, though that's something fans certainly want to see. You can check out the tweet above.

While The Last Jedi gave Luke a sendoff, of sorts, a return seemed much more likely than never seeing him in another movie. The line Hamill uses in the photo is the biggest reason why. But, Luke demonstrated a number of new abilities in the film. It's unlikely that was his first time speaking to Yoda (who is reportedly back for Episode IX) since Return of the Jedi, too, so why wouldn't Luke have learned how to live on as a Force Ghost?

Even if, at one time, there was the idea that The Last Jedi would mark the end of Hamill's tenure in the Star Wars franchise, the plan could've changed. The unfortunate passing of Carrie Fisher and The Force Awakens killing Han Solo means Hamill's the only original trilogy member that could realistically appear in Episode IX. The franchise may have new leads, but Disney and Lucasfilm will surely still want at least some familiar characters beyond Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO to keep up with nostalgia.

Again, this is far from confirmation that Luke will return to Star Wars, especially considering how Hamill loves to have fun with such teases as the expense of fans. He's also said he's totally fine not appearing any future Star Wars movies either. With J.J. Abrams back on board and the script finishing up, though, maybe it's just now that Hamill is finding out about his future in the galaxy far, far away. It's safe to say that most fans want to see Luke appear as a Force Ghost in Star Wars: Episode IX, too, so hopes of that happening will continue to stay high even if this isn't a direct tease from Hamill after all.